The summer after my junior year in high school, my parents let me take a trip by myself to California ON A BUS. Trailways, to be exact. I left from a tiny town in the TX Panhandle (the nearest bus stop). Destination: Barstow, CA, where Aunt Pat and Uncle Dall would pick me up for a month-long visit. I can …
Cream of the Crop
They were originally called the Happy Helpers – the Home Demonstration club of my mother-in-law, Dorothy’s rural county. One of several such groups in the area, they met once a month and took turns presenting “lessons” they received from the County Extension office – lessons in cooking, sewing, canning, parenting, and so on. The women were friends and a lifeline …
Lazy Hazy Crazy Days
According to social networking experts, the worst thing you can do is abandon your blog or blog inconsistently. According to mental health experts, you must take time to step away from your life and re-examine once in a while – take a break, so to speak. Hmmm. If you follow my blog, you will see that the last time I …
Message to my Dad
Happy Father’s Day to my dad, Mike Brune, and all the dads out there! This is your day – Enjoy! MESSAGE TO MY DAD: You taught me how to ride a bike bait a fish hook open a pasture fence gate give a tenth back of whatever I had You were there for my first broken bone to pick me …
Coming Home
I’m the first to admit that I’m a sucker for nostalgia. I have things tucked in corners, along cabinet tops, and in nooks and crannies that attest to my love of times gone by. And my novels are meant to take readers to that place in their hearts called “home.” So, it’s not by coincidence, I dare say, that the …
Pioneer Days, 2012
After months of anticipation and preparation, Pioneer Days in the hometown of Guymon, OK, finally arrived. Sometimes the anticipation exceeds the enjoyment of the actual event, but not this time. I’m so proud of my dad who was chosen from a field of candidates to be the Parade Marshal for this year’s parade. We had to submit a bio which …
A Real Pioneer – Part 2
In the previous post, I gave my dad’s history as a descendant of No Man’s Land homesteaders and the bio of his early years. This picks up after his discharge from the Army. Marriage, Family, and a Lifetime of Adventure: Mike returned to Guymon where he met Patricia (Pat) Brown, a hometown girl. They married on May 28, 1949, and …
A Real Pioneer – Part 1
A few months ago, one of my distant cousins suggested my sisters and I nominate our dad for the honor of Parade Marshal for Pioneer Days in his hometown in Guymon, OK. The criteria included being a descendent of “No Man’s Land” homesteaders in the Panhandle, being a current resident, and had to have lived in one of the three …
Thirty Days of Thanksgiving – Day 28
Day 28. A frost is in the air. Most of the turkey is gone. ALL of the pie is gone (thank goodness for that!). The house is quiet. All is calm. And I’m thankful for the relaxed Thanksgiving we’ve had with two of our sons and their families. We enjoyed eating (of course), watching football, playing cards in the kitchen, …
Thirty Days of Thanksgiving – Day Six
Day 6. The letter F. The holidays always make me thankful for the family God chose to give me—one where faith and love went hand in hand with learning the value of an education, hard work, and cherishing each other. Max and I have tried to instill those same values in our own family. Here are a few of my …